Michael van der Kroft

The Path

Since 2021, the chef post at Tres has belonged to Michael van der Kroft. The fit is practical as much as stylistic: a cook whose method leans toward precision, clear structure, and a language of restraint. Nothing in the frame suggests speed for its own sake. The emphasis stays on what is kept, what is removed, and what remains legible on the plate.

The Work Today

New Dutch cuisine is the specialty Michael van der Kroft has worked under at Tres since 2021. The term places the cooking in a Dutch context without reducing it to nostalgia. What comes through instead is a kitchen interested in clarity, balance, and controlled line. At Tres, the food is presented as disciplined rather than theatrical, with the plate carrying the argument through calm structure rather than volume. Technique, in his own framing, is practical and conditional. “Science gives me tools, but instinct gives me truth.” The line sets process against judgment in a useful way: method matters, but it does not replace taste, timing, or decision. The emphasis is on control and reduction, on knowing how far a dish can be taken before it stops being itself. Restraint sits at the center of that approach. “Restraint is the final step: asking myself, “Does this dish still speak clearly if I remove something?”” It is editing applied to cooking, with omission treated as part of the craft rather than a compromise. The aim is coherence: a dish that holds together because every element earns its place.

Signature

Michael van der Kroft’s signature dishes include popping Dutch donuts. The name has a note of play, but the broader point is sharper: signature can be distinct without being loud. Here, the dish reads as a marker of identity, recognisable because it is tuned to its own line rather than built around excess.

In Their Words “When I started removing salt, I expected to lose flavour. Instead, I found identity.”

Acclaim

Michael van der Kroft’s honors include Michelin Green Star and The Best Chef Awards. In trade terms, they place the work in a recognised field of serious kitchen practice: considered, exacting, and grounded in a belief that a dish can become more distinct when it gives up what it does not need.